My Delorean's broken, can I borrow your TARDIS?
by korvascus
Summary: At the end of the third Back to the future movie Doc Brown has left Marty alone in 1985. But then Marty encounters a strange man who offers to help him track down his friend.
1. Chapter 1

Marty McFly was rather depressed. It had been two weeks since Doc Brown had paid him that brief visit in the flying train time machine. Then he and Clara, and Jules and Verne had blasted off into who knows when.

Oh sure, the long weekend with Jennifer had been fantastic, and it had certainly helped take his mind off the fact that his best friend was gone, possibly for good. But at this point he had spent two whole weeks thinking about the fact that the Doc was no longer here, and his depression knew no bounds. The only reason he wasn't in bed right now on this glorious Sunday was because his mother had forced him to go to the drug store to pick up her allergy meds.

Currently he was taking a short-cut through an ally. He paused for a moment to get a closer look at what he thought might be a dollar bill beneath some trash.

As he was reaching for it, he froze when he heard the weirdest noise coming from behind him.

Marty spun around to look, and proceeded to slip on the wet trash, falling right in the middle of the pile with a loud splat.

Dazedly, he stared as a large blue police call box materialized right in front of his eyes.

Hope surged in his heart. Was it the Doc coming back for him in some strange new time vehicle?

A moment later, the door opened, and Marty held his breath.

Out stepped a man who was clearly not the Doc. Tall and thin, perhaps in his mid thirties, this man was dressed in a pinstripe suit, with a tie and some ratty looking Converse sneakers.

A moment later he was followed by a mocha skinned beauty wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt.

"This doesn't look like medieval Norway Doctor," the woman said nonchalantly.

"No it doesn't Martha," the Doctor said as he glanced down at Marty.

"Excuse me young man," the Doctor addressed Marty. "What year is it?"

Marty, who had been staring astonished at the craziness that had just materialized in front of him, suddenly went wide eyed and sprung to his feet. "Do you mean to tell me that that's a time machine?" _Maybe if the Doc wasn't going to come back to 1985, he could go after the Doc! _Marty thought excitedly.

The Doctor, expecting to hear an answer, was caught off guard by the question. "Huh?' he uttered. He looked behind him at the TARDIS as is to confirm what Marty was talking about before he said, "Yes actually, among other things."

Now Marty was really excited. "I need to use it!" he practically shouted. When he saw the puzzled looks of the two people standing in front of him, he blushed a little. "Umm, that is, I was wondering if I could borrow it, or uh, have you take me somewhere."

The Doctor stared at this young man babbling in front of him. He couldn't remember the last time someone had asked to use his TARDIS. He actually found the situation quite amusing.

"Where would you want to go?" the Doctor inquired curiously.

"Well you see, my friend invented a time machine and…" the Doctor cut him off before Marty had a chance to finish his sentence.

"What?" the Doctor exclaimed. "Your friend invented a time machine?" "That's right," Marty continued. "And he left…"

The Doctor cut Marty off again. "And this is the twentieth century isn't it?" he asked looking around.

"Yes," Marty replied somewhat nervously. He wasn't expecting to be interrogated like this.

The Doctor glanced at Martha. "You're from this time Martha. Do you know anything about a time machine being invented?"

"No," she replied.

"Me either," the Doctor agreed. "Even in the 51st century time travel is tightly controlled and limited. That someone could have invented a time machine in…" he paused and sniffed the air, "the nineteen eighties sounds impossible. What's your friends' name?" he asked Marty.

"Uh, Doc Brown," Marty stammered. "Doctor Emmet Brown."

The Doctor glance at Martha who merely shrugged.

"I've never heard of a Doctor Emmet Brown. Is he human?"

"Of course he's human!" Marty shouted getting frustrated with this whole situation and taking offense to that question.

The Doctor stood silently in thought for a moment. "Well now I'm intrigued," he finally said. "I'd like to meet him."

"Well that's just it," Marty sighed despondently. "He traveled in time and I have no way of getting in contact with him."

"Do you know when he went?" The Doctor asked.

"No," Marty replied glumly.

A broad smile suddenly crossed the Doctor's face. "Do you want to go find him?"

A smile appeared on Marty's face to match the Doctor's. "Do I ever!" he exclaimed.

"Well, Mister…" the Doctor trailed off.

"McFly, Marty McFly, and please call me Marty."

"Well Marty, I'm the Doctor, and this is Martha. Let's go find your friend shall we?"


	2. Chapter 2

Marty had experienced a lot of wild stuff this past month, but none of those experiences could have prepared him for what he now saw before him.

"It's bigger on the inside!" he managed to stammer out.

"Is it?" the Doctor questioned as he walked up to the main console. "I hadn't noticed before."

That snapped Marty out of his awe. "You're teasing me," he said with just a hint of anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself," the Doctor said sincerely. "It's just that if I had a pound for every time someone said that, I could buy the diamond moons of Palanis."

Marty didn't quite understand all of what the Doctor had just said. So instead of replying, he took some time to look around.

Suitably impressed, and thinking that it was a much fancier way to travel than a Delorean, or even a train, Marty looked at the Doctor and gave his stamp of approval. "Far out!"

"Anywhere you want actually," the Doctor replied, pride creeping into his voice. "Far, near, yesterday, tomorrow, a million years in the future and a hundred galaxies away."

"Are you saying that this can travel in space too?" Marty asked.

"Oh yes! All over the universe," the Doctor responded.

"That's pretty cool," Marty said. "But the Doc's train can't do that, so we only have to deal with Earth I guess."

"Did you say train?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, well, originally, Doc built his time machine out of a Delorean." This statement was met with blank stares. "That's a car," he clarified. "Anyway, a few months ago he and I got stuck in 1885. We figured out a way to come back, but when the moment of truth came, he wasn't able to make it. I thought that that was the last I would be seeing of him, but shortly after I returned to the present, he shows up in a train from 1885 that he had converted into a time machine. And just when I thought I had my friend back, he up and leaves again."

"Hold on a minute," the Doctor said. "Hold on one eensy weensy tiny minute. Are you saying, that not only did Emmet Brown build a time machine with the archaic technology you have now, but he built one in the nineteenth century?"

"Yeah, he's kind of a smart guy I guess," Marty replied.

"That might just be an understatement," the Doctor half muttered under his breath. His ever present grin returned to his face. "After a story like that, now I'm really eager to meet him.

"Well Marty," the Doctor continued. "Do you have any idea at all where he might have traveled to?"

"Well, I don't imagine it would be anything too extreme," Marty mused. "He was always curious about seeing beyond his own time."

"So sometime in the future you think. Well that should make it rather easy to find him. We just use the TARDIS computer to scan Earth's newspapers from between now and say, oh, 2150 for any references to Doctor Emmet Brown." As he was saying this he typed rapidly at the computer console. Then he hummed a weird little tune to himself while he waited for the results. A few moments later, the computer dinged -much like a microwave does when your food is ready- and the Doctor put on his glasses to look at the results. "Well, we have lots of results here," he said after a moment, "but this one looks promising."

"What?" Marty asked impatiently. "What is it?"

"It's an article from The… well actually from pretty much every newspaper in the world, dated November 5 2025. It talks about the first manned civilian craft to land on the moon."

"What does that have to do with the Doc?" Marty asked.

"Well," the Doctor replied, "it says here, the pilot of this craft was none other than one Emmet Lathrop Brown."

Then as he looked directly into Marty's astonished eyes, the Doctor pulled the main lever and said, "What say we go congratulate him?"

* * *

The TARDIS landed with a thump.

"Well, we should be right outside his house, provided the town hall records are correct," the Doctor stated.

"November 5th, 2025 huh?" Marty asked excitedly.

"Actually," the Doctor replied, "I took us forward another month so as to avoid the media blitz that was most likely surrounding him. In this day and age, you don't just land on the moon and then quietly go back to your day job. No the date is December 10th, 2025."

The Doctor strode over to the door and pulled it open, strolling out of the TARDIS with Martha and Marty close behind.

In front of them was a large, shingled three story house stained a dull brown. To the right of it, a gravel driveway made its way to a four car garage. A small flower garden was in front of the front porch, which had a few empty rocking chairs, blowing in the gentle December breeze. The house was surrounded by many acres of rolling grass and trees.

"Are we still in Hill Valley?" Marty asked incredulously as he stared at the very rural looking scene before them.

"Right on the outskirts," came the Doctor's reply.

"Well," Marty said as he started towards the front door, "let's go see if anybody's home."

He had taken no more than two steps, when a small door on the side of the garage opened up. A tall white haired man walked out, his head down as he looked at a small portable electronic device.

"Doc!" Marty screamed as he ran towards the Doc."

The Doc glanced up as he heard his name called, and was so surprised to see Marty that he almost dropped the device he had been reading from.

"Marty!" he exclaimed. And with a quick motion, he rolled up the device and stuck it in one of his lab coats before opening his arms to receive a hug from his younger friend.

"Marty, it's good to see you!" the Doc said with genuine happiness.

"Yeah. You too Doc!"

Doc grabbed a hold of Marty's shoulders and pushed him slightly away so as to take a better look at his face.

"You look exactly the same as when I left you," the Doc said in astonishment.

"Well it's only been two weeks since you left," Marty replied.

"Two weeks?" the Doc said flabbergasted. "I've been here for six years already."

"Six years?" Now it was Marty's turn to be surprised. "Weren't you going to coming back?"

"Well I had planned on it," the Doc said, "but, well, life sort of got in the way, what with Clara and the kids and…" Doc suddenly stopped mid sentence. "Say Marty, if it's only been two weeks since I left, and I haven't been back to see you yet, and the Delorean was destroyed, how is it that you managed to get here?"

"Wellll," another voice began, and the Doc turned to where it was coming from, only now realizing that he and Marty were not alone. A man and woman were standing in his driveway. "I might have had something to do with that," the man said through a grin.

"Who are you?" asked the Doc with no hostility, just simple curiosity.

"I'm the Doctor."


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you mean, 'you may have had something to do with it'?" the Doc asked.

Before the Doctor could say a word though, Marty spoke up.

"He has a time machine Doc!" Marty shouted excitedly.

"Amazing," the Doc said as he stared in fascination at the man approaching him.

"Ahem."

All three of the men turned to look at the slightly peeved woman who was still standing at the end of the driveway.

"Oh, sorry," the Doctor grinned sheepishly. "Allow me to introduce my traveling companion, Martha Jones."

The pretty woman, satisfied that she was no longer being ignored, strolled up to the rest of them with a cheerful "hello."

A few pleasantries were exchanged before the Doc spoke up again. "Wait a second, if he brought you here in his time machine,"

"TARDIS," the Doctor interjected.

"I beg you're pardon," the Doc inquired.

"My time machine is called a TARDIS. And if you're going to ask if I know about your time machines, then the answer is yes. Marty told me all about them. I must say I'm quite impressed. Especially considering the level of technology you had to work with."

"Marty, how could you," the Doc said with anger in his voice. "I entrusted you with my secret and now you've gone and told it to a complete stranger!"

"Come on Doc," Marty protested. "I hardly think we have to keep time travel secret from him considering he has his own time machine."

"TARDIS," the Doctor mumbled under his breath.

The Doc visibly relaxed at this. "I suppose your right," he admitted. "But it's just that if the wrong person found out about this…" His voice trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken.

"Well, now that old friends are acquainted," the Doctor said bringing his hands together in front of him, "I'd love to get a look at one of your time machines."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." the Doc said, eyeing the Doctor carefully.

"Tell you what," the Doctor said. "To keep things fair, I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

At this, a small giggle escaped from Martha and she blushed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"That seems fair enough," the Doc said. "Where is your time machine?"

"Right there by your front gate," the Doctor said pointing.

"I don't see any-. Wait, is that a police box?" the Doc asked incredulously.

"That's what it looks like, doesn't it. That's my TARDIS."

"You travel in a police box?" the Doc asked, even more surprised.

"It only looks like a police box." The Doctor explained. "It has a chameleon circuit that alters its appearance to something appropriate for the time period and location. If this were ancient Greece for example, it might be a statue."

"A 1960's British police box certainly seems out of place in California in the year 2025."

"Yes well, there's a story behind that," the Doctor said as he absently rubbed the back of his head.

"But if that…" the Doc started again, only to be interrupted by Martha.

"Much as I'm enjoying this conversation," Martha said, "do you guys think we can continue it somewhere other than in the middle of the driveway?"

* * *

The Doctor opened the door to the TARDIS and walked in, with Martha, Marty and the Doc behind him.

Doc took one look, eyes widening in awe, shouted "Great Scott!" and promptly keeled over unconscious.

Martha, her medical instincts taking over, rushed over to help the Doc. "Is he all right?" she asked Marty.

"Yeah, he tends to do that a lot," he said with just a hint of worry in his voice.

Martha, who was crouched down beside the Doc, felt for a pulse, and after getting a satisfactory response, began to gently shake his shoulders.

A moment later, the Doc came to.

He opened his eyes, then sat up and stared right at the Doctor. "It's bigger on the inside!" he exclaimed, before once again passing out.

* * *

When the Doc finally came to the second time, Martha had a glass of water in her hand.

"Here," she said offering the glass to him, "drink this."

"Thanks," the Doc said and took the proffered glass. After slowly drinking the contents, he got to his feet.

"Sorry about that," he said to everyone present. "I don't do that very often anymore but… well this is quite a ways outside of my normal experiences. How is this even possible?"

"It's a bit complicated," the Doctor began. "Lots to do with pocket universes and dimensional folding."

"How do you mean?" the Doc asked.

"I'd love to tell you, really I would, seeing as how you're a fellow time traveler and all, but I'm afraid the knowledge is a bit beyond you. Just explaining the pre-requisite knowledge would take months."

"Well how does it travel in time then? I take it you must have a flux capacitor."

"A what?" the Doctor asked, looking puzzled. "A flux capacitor?" He sounded incredulous now. "You mean to tell me you travel through time with a flux capacitor?"

"It works just fine," the Doc said sounding a bit miffed.

"Yes, but it can't be very efficient. Rather than traveling through the center of the time vortex, you must be riding along barely clinging to its surface. That would require constant energy expenditure just to prevent your vessel from being completely flung free of the time vortex. A trip like that would take a tremendous amount of power. Something like plutonium, or maybe a fusion device of some kind. Hardly the best way to travel through time."

"I did use plutonium at first and now I do use a fusion drive, but how else am I supposed to generate the 1.21 Gigawatts of power needed to start the reaction?"

"That's just the thing. You don't actually need that type of power if you do things properly. The way you're doing it, as soon as you enter the time vortex, you're instantly bucked out unless you have that power to keep you in. Without that power, it would appear as if you didn't go anywhere. You're just not in the vortex for long enough. Besides which, using a flux capacitor is a very limiting way to travel in another way. Being as it's so energy intensive to maintain your connection to the time vortex, you probably couldn't travel more than fifteen hundred, maybe two thousand years in either direction before your power ran out."

"I had no idea about that," the Doc said. "The farthest I've ever gone at one time was a hundred years."

"That's probably a good thing," the Doctor said. "If you pushed it to the limit and you got kicked out of the time vortex mid flight, you could be in for a very nasty surprise."

"Like what?" Marty asked, visibly paling as he thought of the trips he'd taken in the Delorean.

"Molecular decohesion," the Doctor replied. "Your atoms would all fly away from each other at the speed of light, not just through space, but through time as well. Talk about leaving your mark on history huh?"

Marty felt his knees go weak. That was an incident he'd just as rather avoid.

"Well now," the Doctor said eagerly after a moments pause, "You've seen my ship, let's have a look at yours."


	4. Chapter 4

"Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!" the Doctor exclaimed as he spied the Victorian era train/time machine.

He practically ran over to the train, where it sat in the back corner of the large garage, and started running his hands over it like he was caressing a precious gem. "Positively gorgeous," he gushed.

The Doc unconsciously puffed out his chest with pride at the compliments the Doctor was giving the culmination of his life's work.

"So this uses a flux capacitor?" The Doctor asked.

"Yup," the Doc replied.

The Doctor turned to face the Doc. "Can I see?" he asked with an eager grin on his face.

"Sure," the Doc said as he pulled the keys to the train out of his pocket.

He opened the train and entered it, followed by the Doctor, Marty and Martha.

When the Doc flicked the power switch all the displays lit up, and the Doctor was instantly drawn to the flux capacitor.

"This is unbelievable," the Doctor pronounced as he stared at it. "And you built this in 1885 you said?"

"Yup."

"Truly amazing." The Doctor then began looking at the main displays.

"How very interesting," he mumbled to himself as he browsed the different controls. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he started running it over everything in sight as he continued his mumblings.

A few minutes later, he straightened up and glanced at the Doc. "I must say, this whole thing is quite impressive, given the level of technology you had to work with."

The Doc beamed at the Doctor. "Thank you," he said honestly.

"I'd love to see her in action," the Doctor said.

The grin slid off the Doc's face. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," the Doc replied.

"Why? Is there something wrong with it?" The Doctor asked, scrutinizing the controls a little closer.

"Oh, no, nothing like that," the Doc defended. "It's just that my wife and kids will be home soon and I don't want them to wonder what's happened to me."

"Oh," the Doctor said almost dejectedly, rather upset that it was something so simple.

"Can't you just give them a call?" Marty asked.

"I would," the Doc replied. "But I misplaced my cell phone the other day. That's why they've gone out; to get me a new one."

"Why don't you use the house phone?" Martha piped up smartly.

The Doc looked at her a little funny. "No one has house phones anymore."

"This discussion is largely academic anyway," the Doctor said. "People seem to be forgetting that we're in a time machine. We can pop out for any amount of time and still be back practically before we left."

"I'll grant you, that's true in theory," the Doc began. "In practice, I've found that it's not always so."

The Doctor's face fell. "You're definitely right about that."

"Why don't Martha and I stay back and wait up for Clara and the kids while you and the Doctor go for a short ride," Marty offered. "I've never actually talked to your kids before, and I'd like to get to know them." He neglected to mention that he was also rather excited at the prospect of being alone with Martha for a while. She was quite the babe.

"That's a great idea Marty!" The Doctor said.

"I'm up for it," Martha added.

"I'm still not so sure about this," the Doc said somewhat hesitantly.

"Oh, come on," the Doctor said, slapping the Doc on the back. "Just a quick trip. I'm dying to see how this thing works!"

The Doc sighed heavily. "Fine, a quick trip. But I want to be back here within twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes right," the Doctor said.

Marty and Martha began exiting the train. "See you guys in a little while," Marty said.

Martha waved and smiled at the two men as the Doc closed the door to the train.

A moment later, Marty and Martha could hear the boilers starting up, while at the same time the roof of the garage began to retract.

Then the train slowly lifted off the floor.

"Hover conversion! Brilliant!" came the enthusiastic shout of the Doctor from within the train.

Moments later, the train slowly made its way through the roof of the garage. Then it started picking up speed. Marty and Martha made their way outside so they could follow the train as it made its way across the blue December sky. A moment later, it reached 88mph, and with a flash of light and a triple sonic boom, the train was gone.

* * *

"The time control circuits are set for 1920," The Doc said as they started lifting out of the garage. "I was planning on going there soon, just to have a look around, see what I could see. Kind of like a field trip. Does that work for you?"

The Doctor looked at the time control panel. "August the ninth, 1920, 9:30 A.M. Sounds perfect," the Doctor agreed.

He then went back to the flux capacitor, and while the Doc had his back turned, opened up the panel beneath it and started fiddling around with the wires for a few moments. Then a short blast with his sonic, and another one aimed at the flux capacitor itself, and he went back to join the Doc on the cushioned bench before the main controls.

"Hang on," the Doc said, as the train approached 88mph. "This usually gets a little bumpy."

The Doctor grinned at that as he held tightly to the bench he was sitting on.

Shortly thereafter there was a violent trembling, and then the time barrier was broken, and the world around them disappeared.

* * *

A moment later the pair found themselves in a pouring thunderstorm.

"What!" the Doc shouted incredulously. "I checked the weather reports for this exact date and time. It's not supposed to be raining!" Panic tinged his voice.

"Why would the weather be an issue?" the Doctor asked curiously.

"After being struck or nearly struck by lightning so many times, I determined that the flux capacitor functions like a lightning rod. Now I always make sure the weather is clear before traveling anywhere. And August 9th 1920 was supposed to be a sunny day in Hill Valley!"

"I may have an explanation for that," the Doctor offered.

"What's that?" the Doc asked as he angled the train downward to prepare for descent. As he did this, the ground came into view through the front windows and he let out a gasp. "Great Scott!"

"Well as it seems you've just discovered, we're not in Hill Valley anymore."


	5. Chapter 5

"How is this possible?" the Doc uttered in incomprehension. "This machine doesn't have the ability to travel in space, only in time."

"Oh, did I not mention that I recalibrated your flux capacitor?" the Doctor asked with a sly grin.

"What!" the Doc practically screamed, turning around to glare daggers at the Doctor.

"Well, the way you had it configured was so boring. You had too many restrictions in place. I'm guessing it was because you were under the assumption that if you allowed for spatial decoupling, an error in your calculations might cause you to end up somewhere in the earth's orbit at a time when the planet wasn't there."

"Yes, that's exactly why I had it configured the way I did. And who's to say that that couldn't happen?"

"Me," the Doctor stated matter of factly.

"You?" the Doc exclaimed. "And why should I trust you? Not only do I hardly know you, the first thing you do when you get on my train is start messing with its vital instruments!"

"I've been doing this a bit longer than you Doctor Brown. I know what I'm doing."

"Longer? You don't look like you're out of your thirties."

"I know it's great isn't it?" the Doctor said flashing a brilliant smile. "But I can assure you I'm a bit older than that." His eyes took on a sad faraway look. "Quite a bit older."

The train shuddered as the Doc set it down, jolting the Doctor out of his reminiscing.

"So, Doctor," the Doc began, "if you really do know what you're doing, then tell me; where the hell are we?"

"Oh, I have no idea," the Doctor said truthfully.

"What!" the Doc said, standing from the bench and looking at the Doctor. "You brought us here. How could you not know where we are?"

"But that would ruin all the fun!" the Doctor exclaimed as he rushed pat the Doc and threw open the train door.

He glanced back to look at the Doc, and threw him a lopsided grin. "Are you coming?"

And then with a cry of "Allons-y!" the Doctor rushed out of the train and into the rain.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doc quickly followed the Doctor outside. He was pleased to note that the rain had slowed to a light drizzle.

They had landed next to a dilapidated old barn. The whole structure was dangerously slanted, and through gaps in the clapboard wall the Doc could see that it was empty, save for some old hay.

Behind them, desolate farmland stretched for many acres, only to be swallowed up by thick forest in the distance. Off to their right there was a farm house that seemed to be in slightly better shape than the barn. In front of them, a rutted dirt road led off to a small town about a mile away.

"Any idea where we are?" the Doc asked the Doctor.

"Not yet," the Doctor admitted as he turned back to the Doc. "But we can always ask-" the words died in his throat, and an intense look of curiosity appeared on his face.

"What did you do with the train?" he asked.

"It's invisible."

"I can see that," the Doctor harrumphed. "Or rather I can't see; that is to say that I'm aware that it can't be seen." He paused for a moment to arrange his thoughts. "I suppose the correct question to ask is 'how have you made it invisible?'"

"Metamaterials. When I flick a switch, a very weak magnetic field flows through the surface of the train which activates the metamaterial plating I added, thereby making the train invisible. Very helpful when you arrive in places where the people aren't expecting a Victorian era train."

"I can imagine," the Doctor said as he ran his sonic screwdriver over the now invisible train, his eyebrows rising in silent admiration.

"Now what were you saying before?" the Doc asked.

The Doctor glanced up as he pocketed his sonic. "Oh, yes. Rule one of finding out where you are: ask someone who knows."

"I don't see anyone," the Doc said as he glanced around.

"Part one of rule one," the Doctor said as he headed for the farm house. "Find someone to ask."

* * *

The Doc approached the Doctor, who was on the porch, hands in his pockets.

"Nobody home?" The Doc inquired.

"Doesn't appear to be," the Doctor responded.

"Maybe we should head into town," the Doc suggested.

"First let's see what we can find here," the Doctor said as he used his sonic screwdriver to unlock the door. The hinges protested mightily as he pushed it open.

"Isn't that breaking and entering?" the Doc asked warily as the Doctor walked into the house.

"Nah. We're just taking a look."

The Doc shrugged and followed the Doctor into the house.

* * *

"Hello?" the Doctor yelled out once they were inside. They appeared to be in a small living room. An easy chair in the corner that looked like it had been ready for a dump for years sat next to a doily-covered end table with a large brass lamp on it. The walls sported peeling peach wallpaper and the floor was covered with a threadbare brown carpet the color of drying mud.

"I'll check upstairs, you check the kitchen and dining room," the Doctor said as he headed for the staircase.

"There's obviously no one home," the Doc replied. "Shouldn't we just head into town? It feels very odd to be walking around in a stranger's house when they're not even home."

"Oh, come on," the Doctor said with a gleam in his eye. "Don't you ever feel like playing detective?"

"In the lab yes. In other people's homes without their consent? No."

"Fine then," the Doctor said with some irritation in his voice. "If it bothers you that much, we'll just head into town."

"Thank you," the Doc said gratefully. "I hate to ruin your fun but-"

"Shh," the Doctor cut him off. "Do you hear that?"

"I don't here anything," the Doc replied.

But the Doctor was already moving past the Doc towards the kitchen.

The Doc sighed as he followed the Doctor deeper into the house. When he got to the Kitchen, what he saw made him blanch.

The Doctor was kneeling by and older woman, maybe early sixties, who was laying on her back on the worn wooden floor. What used to be her chest was now a large gaping hole.

The Doctor had always been faint of heart, and if he had been thirty years younger, he would have surely fainted dead away. But as his age had advanced, so had his constitution, and as things were he only got slightly weak kneed. However, he still had to avert his eyes, and he had no intention of getting any closer.

"What on earth happened to her?" He gasped, trying to fight the quaver in his voice.

"I'm not quite sure," the Doctor replied. "But whatever it was, it had to have happened within the past few hours. She's still slightly warm."

The Doctor stood then, and turned to face the Doc, a grim expression on his face. "She was killed with some sort of energy weapon. Whoever did this was definitely not a local."

"Are you implying that whoever murdered this poor woman is from the future? Why would someone travel back in time to kill a farmer's wife?"

"There could be a number of reasons; kill an enemies ancestor to prevent them from being born, change the past to make the future more to your liking, or perhaps something as simple as sport."

"Sport?"

"Yeah, you know, like a hunt."

The Doc glared at the Doctor with disgust on his face.

"Hey, don't look at me like that; you asked. It's not my fault that the universe is crawling with despicable people." He glanced back at the dead woman for a moment before continuing. "At any rate I'm not certain that it's someone from the future."

"Well who else could it be?" the Doc questioned. "As far as I'm aware, at this point in history energy weapons haven't been invented yet."

"Not on this planet," the Doctor agreed.

"I beg your pardon?" the Doc asked in astonishment. "Are you implying that this woman might have been murdered by an extra terrestrial?"

"That's a very good possibility, yes."

"Hold on just a second," the Doc said with skeptical amazement in his voice. "Are you telling me-" The Doc quieted suddenly as a voice rang out from the front of the house.

"Mrs. Hammond?"

There was someone in the house with them!

"Mrs. Hammond," the male voice came again. "It's Officer McClellan. No one answered my knock and the door was unlocked so I let myself in."

With his eyes, the Doctor indicated that they should make their way towards the back door of the house, which was set in the back wall of the kitchen.

"Miss Sylvester at the hair salon says you didn't show up for your appointment and that you're not answering your telephone, so I just stopped by with my partner Officer Williams to make sure you're okay." Officer McClellan said.

The Doctor by this time was attempting to open the back door.

"Hurry up," the Doc whispered anxiously.

"It's stuck," the Doctor whispered back. "I think the wood is warped."

"Mrs. Hammond?" the voice of Officer McClellan came again, closer this time.

"Help me pull," the Doctor whispered to the Doc.

Together the two of them pulled on the door knob with all of their strength.

Just as the two police officers came into the kitchen, the Doctor and Doc finally got the door unstuck, and as the door swung open, the doorknob came off right in the Doc's hand.

He had been pulling so hard that when the doorknob came off he went stumbling backwards and fell to the floor. His right hand still clutched the doorknob and his left one had instinctively gone out to break his fall. Unfortunately for him it happened to land right in Mrs. Hammond's chest, where it made a wet 'splock' as it came to rest. And for all that his constitution had strengthened over the years, he was still not quite prepared for such a gross violation of his senses, and he promptly fainted dead away.

Officer McClellan had taken in the situation the moment he entered the room. As the Doc was still falling he had unholstered his pistol and began aiming it at the Doctor, who had manage to retain his footing, and was now making his way out the back door.

"Stop or I'll shoot!" he yelled at the retreating back of the Doctor.

When he saw that the Doctor wasn't going to stop he fired off a shot, which completely missed as the Doctor was already out of sight around the back of the house.

McClellan quickly looked at his junior partner, Officer Williams, and said "stay with this one while I go after the other."

Williams nodded, his pistol already trained on the inert form of the Doc.

Then McClellan took off after the Doctor.

It just so happened that at exactly that moment, the Doc's right hand, which still clutched the doorknob, relaxed its grip due to his unconscious state, and as Officer McClellan passed by, the doorknob rolled right into the path of his booted foot.

With a startled yelp, McClellan's foot slipped out from under him, and his six foot two, 230 pound frame dropped to the floor, splintering the wood, and knocking him out cold.

Williams looked on in horror at his partner lying unconscious on the floor. He glanced at the back door, where the Doctor had had just made his escape, then back to McClellan, then to the Doc and Mrs. Hoffman.

He had no idea what to do.

* * *

A/N: Two things. 1. Sorry it took me so long to update. I notice that in most of the stories I read on this site the authors are always apologizing for not updating on time, and I want to try avoiding that habit because sixteen hundred apologies doesn't do anyone any good. However, as far as i know this is the first time that it's taken me far too long to update, so I felt I could get away with apologizing this once. On the plus side, during my hiatus from updating, I saw Back to the Future part one in theaters for its 25th anniversary special. All I can say is that it was one of the most amazing and spectacular movie experiences of my life. 2. If you noticed the error in my story, nameley that the Doctor asks, "did you hear that?" before wandering into the kitchen to find the body of Mrs. Hammond, and of course since she's been dead for hours, how can she have made a sound that the Doctor could pick up, I have three possible explanations for how he could have known to go into the kitchen: 1. He heard something else, such as maybe the wind rustling the curtains in the kitchen window. 2. He said it as an excuse to continue searching the house instead of going with the Doc into town right away. 3. He's the **Doctor**.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doc regained consciousness and opened his eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling stared back at him. It took him a moment to remember what had happened.

He immediately pulled his left hand into his body, but upon glancing at it, noticed that someone had cleaned all the gore off it.

His most pressing concern taken care of, he took in his surroundings.

_Great,_ _I'm in jail_,he thought as he looked around the small cell he now occupied. Other than the cot he was laying on and the toilet in the corner, the room was completely bare. Not even a sink or a window.

Where was the Doctor? Obviously he hadn't been captured. Would he return to help him, or abandon him in the past, alone, and in jail as a murder suspect?

The Doc consoled himself with the fact that the Doctor didn't know how to operate the train, although he suspected his fellow time traveler would be able to figure it out rather quickly. But he had a funny feeling that the Doctor wasn't the type of person to abandon people. He felt that rescue was just a matter of time.

Just then an unfamiliar man appeared at the bars to his cell.

"Ah, good. You're awake," the man said. "Maybe now you can answer a few of our questions."

* * *

The Doctor gasped as he leaned heavily against a tree, trying to catch his breath. He had just sprinted for nearly five minutes, in an attempt to get away from the cop who he was sure must be chasing him.

Now that he was somewhat into the forest behind the farmhouse, he was able to stop and recover.

A quick glance behind him showed that he was in fact not being pursued, and this caused the adrenaline which had been flooding his system to taper off somewhat.

While he felt bad that the Doc had been captured, he also knew that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it from happening.

On the other hand, if he hadn't insisted on searching the house, they wouldn't have gotten into this bit of trouble in the first place. But then again, he was the Doctor; asking him to avoid trouble was like asking a glutton to avoid eating. Besides which, it wasn't as if the Doc was going to be executed at dawn. The Doctor would have plenty of time to rescue him -which he would, there was no doubt about that- and at the same time, try and figure out what was really going on here. He grinned sheepishly at that thought. After all this time, he still had no idea where 'here' was. Based on the architecture of the farmhouse and the uniforms of the cops, he was reasonably certain that he was in the United States. But for a more precise determination as to his whereabouts, he needed more information. He no longer had the leisure of waltzing into town to ask someone; at this point he was most certainly a wanted man. He would need another means of determining his location.

Having managed to catch his breath, he pushed away from the tree and straightened up. A little bit of bark had come away on his hand, and he was about to absentmindedly rub it off on his suit, when he stopped and stared at it.

Bringing his hand up to his nose, he sniffed gently, then more vigorously. Then he bent close to the tree and took another deep sniff, before taking a tentative lick of the bark.

"White pine," he said decisively. "I must be in the eastern part of the country."

Glancing up at the sky, he made another observation. "Based on the time of year and the mild temperature, I must be in the north. Probably New England." A grin appeared on his face. "Even when I'm not in England, I'm still in England."

He looked around for other clues as to his location, but seeing nothing decisive, had to be content with what he knew for now.

Now that that was settled, his thoughts turned to rescuing his travel companion from the jail cell he had most assuredly been thrown into. That required waiting for the cover of darkness, so that he could scope out the place unobserved and formulate his plan of attack, which would no doubt be brilliant.

In the mean time, he could allocate some brain power to figuring out just who had attacked that poor woman and why.

So enjoying the warm summer air and the sounds and smells of the forest, the Doctor set off on a leisurely pace as he directed his thoughts to possible suspects.

* * *

There were two officers in the cell with the Doc. He had waived his right to a lawyer for the time being because he fervently hoped that he wouldn't be around long enough for things to go to trial.

The cop currently questioning him was Detective Tim Greaves. An extremely tall man at six foot five, he had humungous hands that would run through his receding blond hair every minute or so. He was leaning against the wall as his blue eyes pierced into the Doc's. His brown suit and shoes looked brand new, and fit immaculately.

His partner was Detective Louis Smart. He was a young man in his early twenties of normal height and build, and would be quite attractive if not for the large greasy mustache eating up the lower half of his face. Like Greaves, he also wore a brown suit, although unlike Greaves, his suit looked old enough that perhaps it had been in style when his grandfather had been married. It also looked like that was the last time it had been cleaned.

Greaves pulled a pen and a pad of paper from his jacket pocket. "Let's start with your name."

The Doc thought briefly of lying to the man, but after a moment's consideration, saw no point in it. Even if they looked him up, in 1920, he hadn't even been born yet.

"Doctor Emmet Lathrop Brown," he replied.

"Medical Doctor or PhD?" Greaves questioned.

"PhD. In physics."

"Where are you from?"

"Hill Valley, California."

"You're a long way from home."

"You have no idea," the Doc muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Greaves said, looking up from where he was writing.

"I said you're right on that," the Doc replied quickly.

"Who was the other guy you were with?"

"I only met him this morning," the Doc admitted. "All I know about him is that he likes to be called 'Doctor'. I don't even know his real name."

"Uh-huh."

As the Doc sat on his bunk watching Greaves nervously, his eyes glanced back over to Smart. The man was absentmindedly picking at a fingernail. He seemed not at all interested in the proceedings.

"So why did you do it?" Greaves asked suddenly, startling the Doc.

"If you are referring to the poor woman lying on the kitchen floor, neither I nor my companion had anything to do with that."

"We caught you in there with her," Greaves said, voice hardening. "No one else was around. It must have been you guys."

"Did you test her body for a time of death?" the Doc asked.

"It was inconclusive," Greaves admitted after a moment's hesitation, "as was the method used to kill her. But I have to tell you, I've never seen a wound like that before. It certainly wasn't caused by a local with a pistol. I don't know what kind of weaponry you have out in California." He spit out the last word like it was a vile curse.

"Did you find a weapon on me?"

"We're still searching the scene for your weapon. Or perhaps your friend was the one who killed poor Mrs. Hammond? Maybe he still has the weapon on him. Maybe he plans on using it again? Where would he go? Where can we find him?"

"I already told you," the Doc said, visibly shaking under the onslaught of questions, "I only met him this morning. I know him as well as I know you!"

"What were you doing with him then?"

"We met through a mutual friend, and we decided to take a short trip together."

"With a man you had only just met?"

"I trust my friend implicitly. If he trusts the Doctor then so do I."

Smart sneered at this. "Look where your trust has gotten you."

Greaves shot his partner a warning glance before continuing.

"Where is this friend of yours?"

"Back in Hill Valley," the Doc replied _in the year 2025_ he added to himself.

"Your friend introduced you to this Doctor fellow in California this morning, and by afternoon you've managed to come with him all the way to Vermont?"

The Doc blanched for a moment as he realized how impossible that must have sounded to Detective Greaves. "Uh, he called me on the telephone this morning and said his friend was in the same area as me and that we should meet."

"I see," Greaves said, clearly not believing the Doc. "And was this friend of yours the one who decided that the two of you should kill Mrs. Hammond, or did you decide that on your own?"

"I told you," the Doc bristled, "I… we had nothing to do with that."

"Well then what were you doing in her house?"

"We had just arrived in town and wanted to find out where we were, so we went to her house to inquire. The door was slightly ajar, and when no one answered our knock, we went into the house to make sure everything was okay."

"Or perhaps upon realizing the house was vacant, you decided to rob the place, and as you were doing so, Mrs. Hammond came in, startled you, and you killed her."

"We did not kill her or anyone else," the Doc said with barely contained rage. "We came upon her mere seconds before the other officers did."

"If you were just there to help, why did Officers McClellan and Williams catch you trying to escape through the back door?"

"To avoid the misunderstanding that we currently seem to be in. We knew we would be blamed for her death if we were caught there so we tried to get away."

"How convenient," Greaves said dryly.

The Doc could feel his blood beginning to boil, and his fingernails were starting to hurt his palms, he was clenching his fists so tightly.

"I'm not answering any more questions," he said adamantly.

"Fine," Greaves responded smoothly as he repocketed his pen and pad of paper. His eyes gleamed as he stared at the Doc. "I think I already have what I need anyway."

The Doc felt his blood run cold. That sounded anything but good.

"By the way," Greaves said as he and Smart were leaving the cell, "your trial begins in three days."

"Three days?" the Doc asked in astonishment.

"This is Vermont," Greaves said as he relocked the cell. "We're not exactly busy here." Then he flashed the Doc a smile that was just as much predatory as it was charming. "Have a nice day."

The Doc watched as the two men walked away, leaving him alone in his cell.

Where was the Doctor?


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor had been walking for only twenty minutes when he came across the alien ship. Approximately twelve meters by seven, it had landed in a natural clearing in the forest. It was an ugly deep red color, like a scab that was healing badly. It seemed to be powered down for the moment.

The Doctor felt reasonably certain that he recognized the ship, or at least what species it belonged to, but at the moment he couldn't place it.

Just then, two figures stepped from the far side of the ship, huge blasters held firmly in their hands. As they came into view, the Doctor immediately recognized them.

These were Mobos. Standing approximately six feet tall, they had hard plate exoskeletons that acted as natural armor. It was the same ugly color as their ship. And save for the boots they wore on their feet, it was a rare occasion to see a Mobo wearing clothing. These two were no exceptions.

As they got closer to where the Doctor was, he slipped behind a tree, which was only big enough to hide him due to his extreme thinness. His previous incarnation would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

After a moment he noticed that they weren't coming after him, but were in fact on a patrol around the ship.

_I wonder why they need a security patrol,_ the Doctor thought. _Surely their onboard sensors could do a much better job keeping the area secured than two pairs of eyes. But if they are relying on guards, then perhaps there's something wrong with their sensors. And if there's something wrong, then perhaps they could use some help. And if they need help then,_

The Doctor stepped out from behind his tree and began approaching the two Mobos.

"Hullo," he shouted, as he waved exuberantly, drawing the attention of the two guards, as well as the attention of their blasters.

"Do you know where I can find a shop that sells good fish and chips around here?"

* * *

"Who are you?" one of the Mobos said menacingly as he trained his blaster right at the Doctor's midsection.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said cheerily.

"What is it that you want?" the Mobo asked him.

"I was simply curious as to why a bunch of Mobos were on Earth, and why you felt it necessary to murder the woman in that house?" the Doctor said pointing in the direction of the Hamilton residence.

The two Mobos glanced quickly at each other, and then back at the Doctor. "Come with us," the first Mobo said after a moment. The fact that his blaster was still aimed at the Doctor's chest left very little room for arguing. So with one Mobo in front, and the other behind him, the trio started towards the main entrance of the ship.

"Hey, wait a second," the Doctor said as they were approaching the ship. "I don't know your names."

"I am Grehl," the Mobo in front of him said without turning around.

"I am also Grehl," the one behind him said.

"Oh, that's very helpful," the Doctor sighed as they made their way up the small ramp into the ship.

* * *

Once inside the Mobo ship, the Doctor was led onto the bridge. Circular and roomy, it was made mostly of metal, in the same reddish color as the ships' exterior. A number of consoles had their wiring exposed as several technicians attended to them, and in the center of the room a Mobo half sat, half sprawled, in what appeared to be the captain's chair.

He straightened with interest when the Doctor was led in.

"We found this human lurking about the ship sir," the Mobo in front of the Doctor said.

"I'm not human, and I certainly wasn't lurking," the Doctor said indignantly.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" the captain asked.

"I could ask the same of you," the Doctor replied.

"I am Captain Mudge, and this ship is the Ram of Demos. As for why we are here, that is none of your business."

"You made it my business when you killed the woman in that farmhouse."

Captain Mudge actually seemed a little embarrassed by the Doctor's accusation.

"That was an accident. We intended no harm to any of the locals."

"How do you accidentally kill someone with a blaster?"

Mudge was silent for a moment, before sighing heavily.

"Yesterday," he began, "as we were passing near this system, one of our plasma inducer coils blew up. We had a backup, but when we went to replace it, we discovered that it was counterfeit. With only the power output of the remaining inducer coil, it would have taken us six months to get to the nearest civilized system for a replacement. So we decided to land here and scrounge up enough copper to build a makeshift one that would last us until we could get to Atarax to purchase a new one."

"Atarax?" The Doctor interrupted. "Why would you go to Atarax to buy anything? They're all a bunch of scoundrels and thieves there."

"It is cheaper," the guard behind him said.

"Suit yourself," the Doctor said. "But that still doesn't explain how Mrs. Hamilton ended up dead."

"As I was saying," Mudge continued, "we came here looking for copper to build a makeshift inducer coil. When we landed our sensors picked up a substantial amount of copper in that woman's house. We were going to use the transmat to teleport it directly onto the ship, but we didn't have enough power remaining with only one plasma inducer coil. In fact we had to power down almost completely, as the other coil was in danger of overloading from the extra demand placed upon it.

"So we had to send a team out to recover the copper manually. When they got to the house, they found a large copper pot in the woman's kitchen. As they were attempting to take it, the woman came upon them and screamed. This unfortunately startled one of my men into firing his weapon at her. But rest assured Doctor, the perpetrator is being punished for his negligence."

"Well, if it truly was an accident, then I guess there's nothing more to do about it," the Doctor said. "But there's still a problem."

"Oh?" Mudge inquired.

"My friend has been arrested by the local authorities. They think he was the one responsible for the woman's death."

Mudge seemed distressed by this news. "I'm terribly sorry. We did not mean to cause such trouble."

"Well hold on a second," the Doctor said as the gears in his head began to turn. "How long until you have the new inducer coil installed?"

Mudge hit a button on the arm of his chair. "Guthy, how long until the inducer coil is installed?"

A thin scratchy voice came over the speaker built into the captain's chair.

"About three hours sir."

"Great," the Doctor grinned. "Once it's up and running, you can just transmat my friend out of his cell."

"Our transmat is not configured for organics," Mudge said. "It is meant only for cargo."

The Doctor's face fell when he heard this.

"However," Mudge said as he rose from his chair, "We would be willing to assist you in any way that we can. As we are the ones who got your friend into his predicament, we will do everything in our power to extricate him from it."

The Doctor's grin returned to his face. "I can't argue with that. Let me fill you in on the situation."


	9. Chapter 9

The Doc was starting to grow despondent. It had been several hours now since his interrogators had left him alone in his cell, and a lack of anything to do had provided him with lots of time to think.

Initially he had thought only of ways to escape, or of ways that the Doctor might break him out; but such things were not his forte and he was unable to come up with anything realistic.

As time crawled by he found his thoughts repeatedly returning to the possibility that the Doctor was not coming back, and that he'd spend the rest of his life rotting in a prison cell for a murder he hadn't committed. This of course got him thinking about his family, and the prospect of never seeing them again.

So it was no big surprise that as the evening wore on the Doc found himself lying supine on the cot, one arm draped over his eyes, tears beginning to leak from their corners.

His one consolation was that Marty hadn't come with him and the Doctor on their trip to 1920. At least it was just him trapped here instead of Marty as well.

Thinking of Marty returned his thoughts to all the people he'd never see again.

For most of his adult life, the Doc had been alone. He'd gotten used to it after a while, and in all honesty hadn't expected that things would ever change. After all, who would want to associate with the town crackpot? Then he had met Marty, a very bright spot in an otherwise lonely life. The Doc had learned to appreciate what it was to have a friend. And then of course he had met Clara, and they had started a family together. Over time, loneliness had become a memory, and he had grown used to, and in fact cherished that he had people who loved him.

And now here he was, stuck in a jail cell in Vermont, all of that happiness cruelly ripped away from him.

The tears that were running down his face were soon joined by more tears, and before long Doc Brown had begun to cry.

* * *

**A/N: I didn't intend for this chapter to be so short when I first started writing it, but I determined that it would have a lot more impact if I left it this way.**

**Reviews are always appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

"The jail must be in the rear of that building," the Doctor whispered as he pointed to the police station. The two Mobo guards -Grehl 1 and Grehl 2 as the Doctor had started thinking of them- looked past him at the squat building before them. One story tall, but quite deep, it was a relatively new brick structure that was as utilitarian a building as they come. No adornments or architectural flourishes of any type graced its exterior. All in all it was a very ugly and depressing building. Even the windows seemed to be frowning.

"We should attempt to gain entry through the rear then," Grehl 2 said back.

"Sounds logical," the Doctor agreed as they began to silently make their way towards the back of the building.

It was nearly midnight and therefore quite dark and deserted. Nevertheless, they were still very cautious as they made their way.

"Well that's not going to work," the Doctor huffed as they reached the building's rear.

They were confronted by a dumpster and a solid brick wall. No rear door.

"Perhaps our blasters can break through it," Grehl 1 said lifting his blaster.

"No, no," the Doctor said, pushing it back down. "You might injure my friend with a stunt like that."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Grehl 1 asked.

"I've found that when the indirect approach doesn't work, you should try the direct approach," the Doctor said as he started back the way they came.

"What is the direct approach?" Grehl 2 asked.

The Doctor halted and turned to face his two companions, a large grin plastered on his face. "Why the front door of course."

"I thought we were trying to avoid a direct confrontation," Grehl 2 said as he and Grehl 1 walked towards the front of the building with the Doctor.

"Sometimes these things just can't be avoided," the Doctor said as they approached the main entrance.

"Here's what's going to happen," he said once again in a whisper.

"I'm going to go in alone. With any luck I should be able to handle this by myself. However, if things get a little tricky I'll give a shout, and you two come in and try and look all menacing and intimidating. Just don't go firing your weapons like last time."

"That is agreeable," Grehl 2 said after he had spent a moment consulting with his fellow Mobo.

"Alright," said the Doctor. "Here I go."

* * *

Dennis Cunningham was enjoying a quiet evening at the front desk of the police station, rereading his favorite book, 'The War of the Worlds.' He had lost track of how many times he had read the well worn pages of the book since his uncle had given it to him for his birthday all those years ago. But no matter how many times he had read it he never got tired of it. Plus it helped to pass the hours of the utterly boring nightshift at the police station.

He had one other book on the desk with him, 'Anna Karenina' which he hadn't read yet, but that one was really just for show. When the occasional person strolled into the station, he would quickly put down 'War of the Worlds' and pick up the book by Tolstoy. He liked to give the impression that he had some class.

He was just glancing up to look at the wall clock, when he saw the front door opening. Acting quickly, he stashed 'War of the Worlds' in the desk drawer and picked up 'Karenina.'

As the person entered the station he made a show of marking his page before putting the book down and smiling. "What can I do-" the words died on his lips as he saw who it was.

He stood up so quickly, his chair toppled over. Half a second later his gun was out of its holster and pointing right at the Doctor's chest. "Don't move," Cunningham said as he took one hand off his gun and started reaching for his handcuffs.

The Doctor stared at the man with a bit of surprise. He had reacted much faster than the Doctor would have thought. Fortunately, he already had his psychic paper in his hand, and he slowly raised it to Cunningham's eye level so that the man could read it.

"I'm Agent John Smith from the FBI," he said as Cunningham cautiously read the psychic paper.

"What the hell is the FBI?" Cunningham said suspiciously.

"Oh, blimey, that's right," the Doctor mumbled to himself as he mentally smacked his head. "They haven't been established yet."

"It's a new federal government policing agency. "I've been tracking the man you have in your jail cell for months. And right when I'm in the process of arresting him, you lot show up and steal him away from me."

Cunningham seemed very dubious about the whole situation.

"How do I know what you're saying is true?"

"If you'd like, you can phone my boss in Washington and discuss it with him, but given the hour, I think he'd be quite irritated with you for waking him up. And I don't think that you want a high level government official to be upset with you do you?"

"No," Cunningham replied after a moment.

"Excellent!" The Doctor said smacking his hands together. "Then let's go get my prisoner, shall we?" He started off towards the cells in the back, but had taken no more than two steps when Cunningham shouted "Don't move!"

The Doctor spun around to see Cunningham still pointing his gun at him.

"But I thought we had cleared this up?" the Doctor questioned.

"I'm going to call my Cheif," Cunningham said as he reached for the phone.

"I don't really think that's necessary," the Doctor said.

Cunningham didn't respond to that as he picked up the earpiece.

"Well can you at least stop pointing that gun at me!" the Doctor shouted. "It's making me nervous."

"Hey shut up!" Cunningham shouted back at the Doctor.

"No not you Carol," he said gently into the phone. "Could you please connect me with Chief Rainer?"

* * *

Grehl 1 and Grehl 2 had been outside leaning against the wall of the station, looking up at the stars.

"I'm telling you," Grehl 2 said, as he pointed at a star. "That is Bak-Loi. You just can't tell because the orientation is different from this planet."

"If that is Bak-Loi then where is Sodaris?" Grehl 1 asked.

Grehl 2 was about to answer when they heard the Doctor start shouting.

"That must be our signal," Grehl 2 said. The two grabbed their blasters and headed inside.

* * *

As Cunningham was waiting for the operator to connect him to the chief, one hand holding the earpiece to his ear, the other pointing the gun at the Doctor, the front door opened again. _Oh no,_ Cunningham thought to himself. _This could really complicate things._ He didn't need any civilians getting into the middle of this.

Then he saw who had walked through the door, and he dropped the phone.

In front of him, as if straight out of his favorite book, were two hideous aliens pointing their death rays right at him.

* * *

The Doctor watched as Cunningham became distracted by the Mobos. The second the policeman's eyes were off him he bolted down the corridor leading to the cells.

"Hey!" came Cunningham's startled shout from behind him, followed a moment later by the Mobos ordering Cunningham to drop his weapon.

A few seconds later the Doctor had reached the cells. There were only two of them, and the Doc was in the far one, asleep on his cot. "Room service," the Doctor said loudly as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the lock in the Doc's cell door.

"Huh, wha-," the Doc said groggily as he awoke from his slumber.

"We realized we had forgotten to change the sheets on your bed, but we don't have any fresh ones, so we're going to have to relocate you."

"Doctor!" the Doc exclaimed excitedly, getting up from his cot. "How did you get past the guard?"

"Instead of telling you, why don't I show you?" the Doctor replied as he opened the cell door.

Intrigued, the Doc followed after the Doctor.

When they approached the front room, they saw the two Mobos still pointing their weapons at Officer Cunningham, who was laying face down on the floor, hands clasped behind his head. He was clearly crying. From the phone a man's voice, presumably that of the chief, was shouting, asking what the hell was going on.

"Well Officer Cunningham," the Doctor started, "sorry to disturb your evening. We'll leave you to your book." He picked up said book which was still on the desk. "Ooh, Anna Karenina. Great book. Have you gotten up to the part where…" he paused as if catching himself. "Oops, sorry. Don't want to give anything away."

Putting the book back down, the Doctor started towards the front door. "What do you say Doctor Brown? Let's get out of here before reinforcements arrive yeah?"

When the Doc didn't respond, the Doctor turned around to see why. It seems the Doc had decided to join Officer Cunningham on the floor. Apparently, he had fainted.

* * *

A/N: Once again I seem to be apologizing for being very untimely with this installment. Unfortunately, I recently had some surgery that prevents me from sitting down. As you can imagine, that makes it harder to work at a computer. I modified my workstation so that I could use it while standing up, but even so it remains difficult to type in this configuration. But it finally got to the point where I couldn't stay away from this anymore, so I just spent the past few hours banging this chapter out. I hope it meets your approval. As always, comments are welcome.


	11. Chapter 11

The Doc came to with a start.

He seemed to be seated on the floor of his train, propped casually against the wall.

He heard voices coming from outside the train and he got up from the floor, grimacing slightly at a twinge in his low back.

The train door was open, so he poked his head out to see who was there.

It took a lot of effort not to faint again, but as it was all the color drained from his face. The Doctor was standing there talking to the two creatures from the police station; two creatures that were clearly not human.

One of the creatures flicked his eyes towards the Doc, and he had to keep himself from recoiling back. The Doctor noticed where the creature's attention had wandered to and he turned around.

"Ah, Doctor Brown, nice to see that you're up. I'd like you to meet my two accomplices in your jailbreak; this is Grehl, and this is also Grehl," the Doctor said as he indicated the two horrific beings.

The Doc gave a barely perceptible nod as he was introduced. He made no effort to get any closer. "What are they?" he managed to get out.

"They're Mobos. They're from a planet quite a distance from here. Well quite a distance based on current human methods of transportation."

"You mean they're aliens?" the Doc asked incredulously.

"Yep," the Doctor replied. He seemed a bit proud about this for some reason.

"Forgive me for saying so, but that seems a bit preposterous."

"This coming from a man standing in the doorway of a time machine," was the Doctor's quick reply.

The Doc had no ready response to this, so he just stood there staring at the two Mobos.

"Well," the Doctor said jovially as he brought his hands together, "much as I'd love to stay and talk for hours, I think we should all be on our ways before the authorities find out where we've gotten to."

He turned to face the two Mobos directly. "Grehl, Grehl, It's been a pleasure." He gave them both small bows.

"Likewise Doctor," they said in unison, returning the bows.

A half smile appeared on the Doctor's face. "You two aren't brothers are you?"

"No," Grehl 1 responded. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," the Doctor said deadpan, but his eyes twinkled with mirth. "Thank Captain Mudge for me, and good luck getting to Atarax."

With that said, The Doctor started towards the train while the two Mobos headed back towards their ship.

"So those were really aliens?" the Doc asked in awe as he made room to let the Doctor into the train.

"Yep," the Doctor replied. "But I'll tell you all about it once we're under way. It's only a matter of time before the police find this location, and I don't plan on being here when they do. I don't think either of us is too keen on spending any more time in a jail cell today."

The Doc shuddered. "That's for sure." He closed the Door behind the Doctor and made his way over to the time circuits.

He powered up the controls and input the proper time coordinates before putting the train into hover mode and lifting off the ground.

As they cleared the treetops, the Doc took a final look at the Vermont countryside spread out below them before he started accelerating the train. "As Marty might say, 'let's get the hell out of here!'"

* * *

The train arrived back in 2025 approximately one hour after they had left. As they made their way towards the Doc's garage, the Doctor recapped everything that had happened to him while the Doc was in his cell. He was just finishing answering the last of the Doc's questions as the Doc gently settled the train into its normal spot in the garage. As the two of them disembarked, the door to the garage opened and Marty and Martha walked in.

"How'd it go?" Marty asked curiously.

The Doc's face took on a disgusted look, while the Doctor's split with a grin.

"Ughh," the Doc said at the same time as the Doctor said "Amazing!"

Marty looked confusedly from one to the other while Martha asked, "Well, which is it then?"

"All I can say," the Doc began, "is that I have no desire to visit Vermont again anytime soon."

"Vermont!" Marty exclaimed. "How'd you end up in Vermont? Just how long were you two gone for?"

"Perhaps we can discuss this over something to eat," the Doc said as he started towards the house. "Are Clara and the kids home yet?"

"They just called from their new phones," Marty replied. "They should be home in about twenty minutes."

"Perhaps we should wait for them to get back first so that we don't have to repeat ourselves."

The Doc looked at the Doctor. "Why don't you and Martha come in and make yourself comfortable?"

"Thanks," the Doctor said, "but if it's all the same, we really need to be going."

"Are you sure?" the Doc questioned. "I'd love for you to meet my wife and kids."

"That would be nice," the Doctor agreed, "but I can already see how this is going to play out. We all sit down, you and I tell everyone what happened, your wife gets furious at me for getting you into trouble, and…" he trailed off. "I'd just as rather avoid all of that if I can. I'm not too fond of the domestics."

"Well, if you're sure," the Doc said. He extended his hand and the Doctor grasped it firmly in his own. "Doctor," the Doc began, "I wasn't too sure about you at first, but you came through in the end. And even though spending the day in a jail cell wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I must say this was an experience I won't soon forget. So thank you."

The Doctor grinned madly. "It was a pleasure, Doctor Brown. And in case you're wondering, the modifications I made to your flux capacitor are still active."

"But you haven't told me how to control where I end up."

"Now that would take all the fun out of it wouldn't it?"

The Doc gave the Doctor a troubled look.

"Oh come on," the Doctor responded. "You're a smart guy, you'll figure it out."

The handshake was broken and the Doctor looked at Marty. "Do you need a ride home?" he asked.

"No thanks. If it's okay with the Doc, I think I'll stay a few days before heading back."

"By all means," the Doc answered.

"Well then," the Doctor said as he grasped Marty's hand. "It's been a pleasure."

"Thank you for helping me find the Doc," Marty replied.

The four looked at each other for a few more seconds in the silence of the garage.

"Come on Martha," the Doctor suddenly announced. "Time's a wasting." A frown appeared on his face. "Well actually since we have a time machine that's not quite accurate." He started to rub his chin thoughtfully. "On the other hand, since your lifetime is finite once could argue that…"

Martha rolled her eyes and grabbed the Doctor by the arm. "Come on Doctor," she said as she started leading him towards the TARDIS. While the Doctor was still debating with himself, she gave a final wave to Marty and the Doc.

After they were out of sight, Marty looked at the Doc and asked, "What is this about being in a jail cell? And what did he mean when he said he had made modifications to the flux capacitor?"

The Doc put his arm around Marty's shoulder and led him back towards the house. "Let's wait until Clara and the kids get home," he said. "Then I can tell you all about being accused of murder…"

Marty's eyes opened wide at this.

"Being thrown into jail," the Doc continued, "and breaking out with the help of the Doctor and two space aliens."

Marty's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Aliens!" he asked flabbergasted. "You're putting me on!"

"Nope," the Doc replied.

There was really only one appropriate way for Marty to express the shock he felt at this revelation- "Great Scott!"


End file.
